Another consideration is what TYPE of haunt it is. The ones with great eye-candy, you want to last and last and last, so you can enjoy looking around. The ones that are less family friendly and put the emphasis on really scaring the piss out of patrons are a different kettle of fish, however. Many people enter thinking they want it to last and last, but after the first few minutes, they want it to END.

Ours takes about 40 minutes to go through if you don't power walk. Most all say that it was much longer than they expected, and a good deal of them admit that they couldn't wait to get out (and some always exit early). But they also say they had a great time. So it's a double edged sword: they love the length before and after being in it, but while they're actually THERE, they're stressing to get out!

This would also explain why most everyone is out of breath at the end, even though they are not allowed to run. It's the adrenaline and accelerated heart rate.

With me I think the time of going through a haunted house should relate to the price. I think a good estimate is around $1.00 a Minute. Also the quality should be good not just black walls and teenagers running around and hooking up with each other afterwords. If you have this type of setup it should be around .50 cents a minute. It does not matter how long it takes for someone to walk through the haunt as long as the customers remember it for being fun and great. A 4 minute haunt can be just as great as any 25 minute haunt, the price should be justified though.

On average, Haunted Attractions tend to last 20-30 minutes, but as many have mentioned, it entirely depends upon your selling ticket price. If you charge over $16-$20 for any one of your attractions, you should be expected to provide nearly 40-50 minutes of entertainment.

Our main attraction, the nationally famous, Niles Haunted House has over 100 possible routes creating near endless possibilities to our patrons and creating value. Although our show may only last anywhere between 15-25 min for this particular attraction, we only charge $10. In addition we offer a half priced discount for a repeat visit for a chance to walk through an alternate route. Very Popular!

It also depends upon if you offer an outdoor or indoor show. We also have what we call the "Field of Screams" and it could last you anywhere between 30 Minutes to nearly 1.5 hours! An outdoor maze, featuring a Chain Link Fence Maze, Claustrophobia, Multiple Themed Rooms, Birtch Tree Forest, Camophobia, a Bridge, and even a heartbeat tunnel! You'd have to see it to believe it! All for only $7!

Value is the Number one priority in pricing your event in relation to your attractions duration.

I think that haunt length is based largely on the (misguided) notion that it's a haunts duty to get people to pee their pants. Some shorter haunts due it by trying to scare people so much they have to pee. Some other haunts use the strategy of keeping people in the haunt so long, they just can't hold it anymore. Some do both. My only explaination is that one of the secrets of the inner circles of one of the haunt organizations is that they own a lot of stock in mops and/or cleaning products and are attempting to create demand for those products.

There are three rules to designing a haunt. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.

Doesnot get given out or worn here or incouraged to appear either.
When a girl maybe 10 years old soaked her jeans we were embarrassed for her. A week later she came back again, we recognised her but said nothing about her public urine sample. Then she began loudly bragging about it! Infront of total strangers!!??
Shut up, already! Here's your official Pee-Badge! Wear it proudly! Talk about it often.
Don't wash those jeans, frame them instead! Sell them on E-bay 20 years from now!
(A young "Monica L." in the making!)

Because I carry my doorbell in my pocket and it picks up the signal even underground in the wine cellar and even 4 blocks away (in a valley) where my wharehouse is located.
A wonderfull device!
I give waiting customers the choice of joining a tour in-progress and seeing the beginning at the ending (of their tour, a loop-tour) or waiting and beginning at the start.
Surprisingly most want the tour in-order, they must be "purists" for my art.